NOTEBOOK: New CB Wade Grateful For Opportunity With Dolphins

New Miami Dolphins cornerback Jonathan Wade was at the airport Tuesday waiting to board his return flight to Louisiana when he got the phone call he was hoping for – the Dolphins had just signed him to the active roster.

When he was inside the team’s practice bubble working out with other free agent cornerbacks, Jonathan Wade pretty much kept to himself. He didn’t want to engage in any chitchat during his audition for General Manager Jeff Ireland and Head Coach Tony Sparano.

“You’ve got a lot of eyes on you and the thing is I try not to know anybody before I go in besides the people that I do know,” said Wade, who was a third-round draft pick of the St. Louis Rams in 2007. “That way I don’t know if the owner’s staring right there at me or if the general manager is staring at me, although you know people are there. The more you know the more nerve-wracking it can be.”

Wade admitted he figured out who Ireland who was because he looked important and he recognized defensive coordinator Mike Nolan, who coached him at the Senior Bowl. Now he’s comfortable inside the locker room with some players from his college, Tennessee.

Sparano was impressed with Wade’s workout and with the positive things he brings to the secondary and special teams. With Vontae Davis battling a hamstring injury his signing was important enough for the head coach.

“He’s got good foot speed and ball skills and obviously he’s started some football games (13) and played in a lot of football games (59),” Sparano said. “He has special teams value and has played inside and outside, so just his flexibility is a plus. He’s a smart football player with good foot speed.”

For Wade he’s just very excited to have a job again and was a little surprised that he didn’t get much interest on the free agent market until now. He’s looking at being thrown right into the fray a five days before a road game at Kansas City as less of a challenge and more of a blessing because he can just put his head down and go.

As far as his strengths and assets, Wade opted not to single out any one thing so as not to set himself up for any controversy or failure.

“I know if I say something it could come back to bite me because I’ve been around with the media,” he said. “Doing the best I can do is my biggest asset.”